"The further you go away from what is commercially viable, the more the onus is on you to pull the game back in to being something the market can support."

- Alexander Bruce, speaking about the value of iteration in experimental game design during GDC 2014.

During GDC 2014 indie developer Alexander Bruce spoke very candidly about how -- and, more importantly, why -- he went about iterating and polishing his IGF Award-winning game Antichamber over three years to transform it from an experimental Unreal Tournament 3 mod into a remarkably successful standalone title.

Bruce also detailed how that time was spent testing and iterating on the game's design, the price he paid to do so, and what other developers can learn from his experience during his presentation, which was recorded for archiving in the GDC Vault.

We've gone ahead and embedded the free video of "Antichamber: Three Years of Hardcore Iteration" above, but you can also watch it here on the GDC Vault.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.